verses

1. 1
   noun

   Plural of verse.

   The song's quieter verses contrast sharply with its booming chorus.

   He quoted two verses of scripture during the eulogy.

   Note

   A plural that counts separate pieces, not poetry at large. Verse in the general sense, as in a book of verse, is normally uncountable. So verses names individual units: stanzas of a song, short passages of a holy book, or the solo portions of an anthem. The same spelling also serves as the verb's -s form, and only the surrounding sentence shows which one is meant.

2. 2
   verb

   Third-person singular simple present of verse.

   She verses herself thoroughly in the case files before each hearing.

   The mentor verses every new recruit in the team's traditions.

   Note

   The -s form that follows he, she, it or a singular noun. It carries a disputed use: their team verses ours, meaning "plays against." That sense is colloquial and rejected by careful writers, who use plays or faces instead. The figurative teaching use takes a person and the preposition in: the mentor verses each recruit in the rules.

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